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3rd brake light leak fix

171K views 153 replies 91 participants last post by  bring10ants 
#1 ·
Just thought I'd post this up for what I did to solve my problem of the 3rd brake light leaking. I was getting water in both rear top corners of the cab where the headliner meets the plasic and rear window glass. What happens is the water leaks through the seal of the light, then makes it's way into the cab sheet metal, and runs to both corners due to the way the metal slopes. If you have water dripping from the top corners of the rear of the cab it is probably the 3rd brake light seal leaking. First thing I did was check to make sure the window seal also was not leaking, by pouring water in the open channel (once you remove the two screws holding on the light and pull the light off). There are weeps that let the water drain at the bottom of each corner of the window, my passenger side weep is wide open, the driver side weep is a little tighter (due to the window being installed slightly crooked), but it lets the water out fine. So anyway I then cleaned the sand/muck off where the light seals, and cleaned the old gasket off the light (very easy with flathead screwdriver, then again with adhesive remover). I then applied new thicker gasket (not a foam type like the original), I bought it at home depot, it is slightly wider, and about twice as think, but still very compressible. This is more rubber like (EPDM) than foam like, so should seal better. It doesn't turn sharp corners well, so I cut about half way through for the top two bends, and cut a separate strip for the bottom, this way the bottom corners are open and will let any water that may get in drain out. Pics....
 

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#123 ·
If your over your 60,000k warranty be prepared to pay $$ at the dealer. Even after i replaced my seal on the brake light it still leaked. Look for cracks in the body of the truck near the bottom corners of the back window. Some clear silicone will fix the problem. I also went around the window seal and and filled any holes. Also the rubber piping along top of the roof that goes front to the back window was peeling off. Nothing gorilla glue couldnt fix. Not impressed though. 2yr old $60k truck. Ridiculous. Good luck!
 
#124 ·
Look for cracks in the body of the truck near the bottom corners of the back window.
I actually have the same cracks on my 2010. Mine doesn't leak there though so I haven't touched them. My brake light fix is still going strong, no leaks. It's been probably 5+ years at this point? (don't feel like looking at the first page lol).
 
#125 ·
I wish i had read this prior to taking it to the dealer. Bought my truck new in 2011. 2014, the rear brake light was replaced due to finding standing water under the rear seat in the storage container, still under warranty no charge. They replaced it with a thicker, better gasket/ seal.

Took it in today, same problem, man warranty is expired, Max care doesn't cover gasket leak, $300 to replace including inspection fee. Im pissed, will probably not do business except for warranty. I expect it will do the same in the next year or two.
 
#126 ·
Poured out last night and I got in my truck today and headliner was soaked. and floor wet. Also third break light filled with water. So now ill have a nice water stain on my headliner of my truck with only 15k on it. Pretty awesome.
Called the dealer and obviously they said they had to see it and have never heard of that. Apparently they don't check forums.
I have a full warrenty not to mention the factory one so well see where this goes. Ill be pissed if they won't replace my ruined headliner all because they can't figure out how to seal their trucks. I have a single cab, its LITERALLY the only spot they need to make water tight and couldn't figure it out.
 
#127 ·
Reviving this thread because it's obviously still helping people, also, first post!

I recently left the GM family and acquired '14 RAM 1500 Laramie. Two weeks into ownership, we officially entered monsoon season here in southern Illinois. I was luckier than most; noticed a couple drops of water on my seat backs and light headliner stains in the corners. Also, water in the third brake light. I found lots of fixes on various forums, but went with this one.

Pulled the brake light and the gasket looked like everyone has described. Who knows how long this slow leak was happening before I bought the truck. I did not have any problem getting the gasket to turn the corners.....no cuts needed for me.

It's now been raining for 12 hours, with another 48 hours to come. So far, truck is nice and dry with no signs of water intrusion. I only did one thing different that was probably entirely overkill; there seemed to be more play in the gasket adhesive than I would care for, and I thought this would be the likely future point of failure for this fix. So, I ran a bead of silicone where the gasket met the brake light and allowed it to fully cure before reinstalling. Probably unnecessary, but I know I'll sleep better tonight while Mother Nature does her worst outside.

Extended warranty would have covered it, but why pay the deductible to have the brake light fail again a few years down the road. Thanks for the solid write up!
 
#131 ·
Hey I'm trying to upload a couple pictures that show what product I used and how it looks installed (after scraping the original gasket off). Damn photobucket...

(Maybe a mod can edit the first post to reference the new pics???)
 

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#135 ·
Actually you must be right. I can see them now but I couldn't when I was on my phone and posted my previous post
 
#137 ·
Thanks snrusnak , I just went thru the 136 posts ,
I can see the images in post #1 ,
too bad I cannot see the images in post # 6 , ( it looks like that is the step by step post ),
luckily the images in post #131 show me the weatherstrip used .
I also didn't want to create more work in future for a light bulb replacement
by using silicone or RTV gasket , so I will be going with the weatherstrip material
on my 2015 before it starts to leak , avoiding the need to take carpets out
to dry them and find rust in floors , and breath mold and mildew from wet carpets.
 
#138 ·
I had the same thing happen recently and followed the tutorial. Only difference is that I started my seal in the lower middle of light assembly so when finished it meets in the middle bottom. Each to their own I guess but the leaking stopped. Then I had to deal with the water stains on headliner. Got them out using LA Fantastic cleaner from Dollar General. After spraying and scrubbing off with a towel no more headliner stains. TO get rid of the musty odor - a small bucket of Damp Rid from Walmart. All better now!
 
#140 ·
very good info. I was wondering if it was the rear window seal in my truck.
Sure enough the rear brake light had water in it. took it apart and reinstalled. Its raining today and it was pouring in both corners pretty bad. Especially when driving. It has seemed to stop it after fixing it.
Great thread
 
#141 ·
I have a 2015 and this is the second time it has leaked! The first was covered under original warranty. Now that that is over it’s leaking again and I have extended warranty and they are saying it IS NOT covered!! Anyone else know if that is correct? Why don’t they cover the crappy products they use!?
 
#142 ·
Funny, I wrote this thread how many years ago when I had my 2010 ram 1500. I just bought a 2007 ram 2500 and did the same fix last week to it, took about 30 minutes. Just funny I ended up back at my thread so many years later!!!
 
#145 ·
Just got a well used 2005 for a truck to get me around town to save money until I can save up enough for a down payment on a Challenger. Was planning on mounting an amp directly under where the 3rd brake light sits behind the seats until I found a puddle this morning. I'm glad that I found this thread!
 
#146 ·
Add me to the list of folks that performed this fix. Mine is a 2014 and only just started leaking. Dealer told me there was no gasket and silicone was the fix. Their guy could do it for around $120. No thanks. Bought the frost king gasket for auto / marine at Home Depot and just did the install. This material looks like what should have come with the truck from the manufacturer. My gasket (that the dealer told me I didn't have) was dry and crumbly and there was water inside the housing. Will perform a hose test tomorrow but have every confidence this is the correct fix. Thanks for this long lived thread.
 
#148 ·
I’ve come into the same problem. However, I have a 2019 ram Rebel. To this date are you still without issue regarding your window leak? I have a small leak in the upper right passenger side window. If I hose the truck down for 10-15 minutes I don’t get anything leaking. But if it sits all day/night during a rain it will seep through the plastic interior molding of the corner of window. I don’t want to have the rear window replaced if not necessary. The dealership took a look, adjusted and snugged up the rear brake light screws and said that should fix the problem. I also removed the brake light after it rained. I did not see any water inside where the brake light assembly is positioned. And my headliner and interior was not wet.
 
#149 ·
I sold the 2010 ram 1500 I had when I made this thread. I never had another issue with it though. I also bought a 2007 ram 2500 last year and did the same fix to it since it had the same issue. I would do this to any 3rd/4th gen ram, as they all have the same foam gasket that will let water through once soaked. It takes probably 30 minutes and costs a less than $10.
 
#151 ·
My 2007 ram 2500 that I bought is doing the exact same thing, dripping water (sometimes) from the grab handle screw hole. I pretty much have narrowed it down to the screwed on weatherstripping that runs the top of the entire door length. It's screwed to the cab. One of the screws seems to be intermittently leaking. I'm gonna just buy new weatherstripping and replace it, with a dab of silicone (or similar) on each screw hole. It only does it every once in a while. I even removed the A pillar months ago to be able to track it down and the 1 or 2 times it leaked since then I have not been able to find a source.
 
#153 · (Edited)
Thanks for this tip! I traced a leak back to this brake light and bought a different version of the frost king weather strip from amazon which seemed a better size and just cut mini pizza slices out of it so it will turn at the corners. I didnt leave a drain gap at the bottom as i dont want spiders or bugs to get in. My factory gasket was saturated with water and peeled off easily. I didnt scrape off the sticky residue since it seemed to form a great bond with the frost king weatherstrip after i used a hair dryer to dry the interior of the lens. This weather stripping is thicker than a stock gasket.
 

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#154 · (Edited)
I forgot to post a pic of the leak which was water accumulating under the rear storage while parked in my driveway with rear of truck higher than the rest. I initially thought it was the sunroof and adjusted it after reading a post on how to do this (easy). I also put RTV sealant where the sunroof wind buffeting springs insert into the gutter (a know leak spot). I also poured water into my sunroof gutters (foward and rear) to confirm that all four inner sunroof train tubes pour water out (door jambs and between box and cab). If the brake light gasket replacement does not work i will be pulling out my headliner to check drain tube connections and/or testing my rear window for leaks. Meanwhile, running my AC on recirculation, fan high every time i drive while keeping the compartment open so as to dry out the interior.
UPDATE*
After putting dual gaskets around the light i STILL had a leak into my cab. I pulled the light out again and noticed a window gasket that looked like it would naturally collect water as it had a gap so i ended up putting some silicone on both exposed end in the brake light opening and the leak is GONE!!! i have confirmed after several rains over several weeks. i suspect water was traveling along this and getting in somehow. I hope this helps someone else!
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